Jerry Lorenzo Talks Future of 'Fear of God ATHLETICS' & Basketball Shoes
Jerry Lorenzo, founder of Fear of God ATHLETICS and the Global Head of adidas Basketball, is one of the most innovative designers in the game. For more than a decade, the California native has been on the cutting edge of streetwear.
Lorenzo has worked with everyone from Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Gigi Hadid, Selena Gomez, and the late Virgil Abloh. In 2018, he established Essentials, a subsidiary of Fear of God brand, that has been worn by several A-list celebrities as a testament to his creative influence.
Lorenzo’s latest creation, the adidas x Fear of God II Basketball, is the first true performance shoe from the brand and embodies the minimalist aesthetic of his signature style. Debuting in a “Night Brown” colorway, the shoe will come in high-top and mid-cut versions with the intention of being a basketball and a lifestyle shoe.
Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI caught up with Lorenzo about the design of the adidas x Fear of God II, partnering with Overtime Elite, and what drives his creativity.
With your background in the sports world, when did you first decide that you wanted to become a designer?
When I was going to school at FAMU, I played baseball there and quickly realized I wasn't going to play big-league baseball. Then I went to grad school and got my MBA at Loyola Marymount in Chicago. I wanted to get into the front office somewhere with my dad, Jerry Manuel, being in the MLB.
But, I worked retail a little bit all through grad school. It’s something that just came easy to me and I felt like I had a knack for even more so than baseball. After a few years in the front office and trying some other things on my own, I just felt convicted that this was the direction for me to go.
After working with other brands, what was your inspiration behind creating Fear of God?
I always knew I was called to do my own thing. Sometimes helping someone else can help you get better at doing your own thing. But that was never I knew. That was never my calling to be there for a long period of time.
When working for other brands ran its course, I refocused on what I felt like God called me to do, which was to create Fear of God. I wanted to bring these ideas where they were intended to be.
The adidas x Fear of God Athletics Basketball II is your second sneaker release. What was your vision behind the creation of the shoe?
Authenticity. It was around 2018, and I felt the wave of retros were going out of style. I wanted to create something with intention and purpose. I wanted to create a new idea that felt like what it felt when I opened up sneakers in the 90s.
It’s a beautiful shoe that can perform on and off the court. I really felt that footwear at some point needed to head back to that space where a shoe that you loved and wanted to save up for, stand in line for, is also something that you can go and get 50 in. Also, you could wear them when you go out on a weekend.
Fear of God ATHLETICS also announced the launch of its own Overtime Elite team along with adidas. Why is it important for you to partner with the youth basketball league?
It’s all about giving back and being an example of what's possible. Impacting the young men and women of the next generation is what drives Fear of God. It's just been in our family to give back to the youth.
When I was thinking of making this beautiful product, the first people that came to mind were my son, the youth, and the next generation. Fear of God has always drawn inspiration from and been guided by the spirit of sport, both off and on the court. We are excited to be in a position to tangibly reach the next generation through this partnership with OTE.
For those who want to enter the sneaker industry and creatives in general, what words of advice would you share with them?
You have to grind. I think the way you do one thing is where you do everything. So even if you're grinding on a job, it doesn't seem like it's leading you to the thing you want to do, how you grind there is going to inform how you grind on that other thing you love to do.
I think that's really the trick to life is just kind of like understanding the harder you go at everything that's in front of you, the more it's going to inform you. Once you touch that thing that you're supposed to do, it moves in your direction because you've done the work and pushed yourself.
You understand when you give to something, it naturally gives back to you. So it is all about the grind. There are no shortcuts or handouts. Anybody could be given a platform, but you have to grind to keep it.
The II Basketball retails for $180 and the Hi for $200 and will be available in Night Brown on Fearofgod.com, adidas.com, the adidas CONFIRMED app, and select adidas Global and North America retailers on Friday, December 6 at 10 a.m. PST.
In the House’s endeavor to make the II Basketball accessible to young athletes, the shoe will also be available at select Foot Locker, Dick’s Sporting Goods and JD Sports.
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Rashad Grove is a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated's FanNation and a sneakerhead based in Princeton, New Jersey. His work has appeared on BET.com, Ebony Magazine, MTV.com, Forbes, Billboard, HipHopDX, and Philadelphia Inquirer. You can follow him on all social media platforms at @thegroveness, and he can be reached at [email protected]